The Commentator's Clone Corner: First Edition....Of Hijabs, Soccer and the New York Times: Part Deux

Selena Roberts, New York Times, 3/28/07

A soccer team of Canadian girls recently applied sandbox mores when they decided that the report-card virtue of ''plays well with others'' was meant to include everyone -- including those in Muslim head scarves.

The red hijab worn by Asmahan Mansour, an 11-year-old player for the Nepean Hotspurs near Ottawa, had never hurt anyone in the games she played before the Canadian indoor championships last month in Quebec. But as Mansour trotted onto the field for a shift change, about to mix it up with players in prescription glasses and elastic headbands, a referee ejected her when she wouldn't remove her headscarf.

Safety violation, the ref cited.

R U kidding? Mansour's teammates thought.

With preteens, thought bubbles are always in text-message form, so their next step was C U later. The girls triggered a tense national debate on multiculturalism -- was the hijab a safety issue or religious discrimination? -- when they instinctively turned and walked off the field in support of Mansour. The Hotspurs withdrew from the tournament.

"They said, 'We're proud of you, Asmahan,'" Mansour told Canada's CTV last month, adding, "And I was very proud of my teammates for having my back."

Team boundaries should be safe havens. It may take the wisdom of children to amplify it, but inside a locker room or clubhouse, there is an expected refuge from the outside bias and ridicule that exists more than ever as sports become ethnically, religiously and racially diverse. . .

The lessons of open-minded acceptance aren't that difficult. Even 11-year-olds on a soccer field in Canada understand how to react to the new culture wars in sports: take a stand by walking out together.

"What Asmahan's team did was really amazing," said Sarah Elgazzar, an executive with the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations. "It's a very hopeful sign. They know who Asmahan is. She loves to play soccer. She is just like them."

The Hotspurs supported their own, turning their sandbox into a safe haven. What a team concept.

I haven't seen this much drool since I went through teething a couple of weeks ago.

Where to begin? Open-minded acceptance? What the fu...? Did I just make love to Alice in Coo-Coo land? Her open-ended romantic notion presupposes that the rules were set by close-minded barbarians.

Listen, I've sat on soccer boards: the purpose is to ensure safety first. We were not effen (yeah, I'm too nice to write fucken) racists. For the record, I'm racist against idiots and know-nothing mavens. You know the type. Always offering advice you never asked for. Anyway, if we don't come down on the side of caution, guess what? It's parents like this writer who sip their fancy water that will come down hard on the association if we didn't think of every possible scenario for protecting there kids. So, the rule is simple: nothing that comes remotely close to being dangerous will be allowed. Oh, a hijab is not different you say? Think twice, all it takes is one scheming little kid to stick their grimy fingers in an opening to drag her down. I'll let you move from that point on. Exaggeration on my part? Yes. But never dare say never.

As for life lessons kids are stupid. Naive. Pink in the head. They are also annoying. While they may be blessed with pure thoughts, there's a reason why we don't create laws around their inexperienced world views. This isn't an ABC After school special - hey, whatever happened to those pathetic fables? "Oh no, Peter we can't do drugs. The ABC after school special said it's bad for morale..."

The headscarf is a cultural attire. It is not a religious one. It seems to me some reasonable common sense should have prevailed with everyone involved. Notably her parents and coach. She ain't no Joan of Arc. Everyone makes it sound like she was about to be burned as a heretic by the local depanneur (convenient store in Quebec slang, dumbasses).

The rules in Quebec are clear. The referee (who ironically was Muslim) applied the rule. End of story. The Ontario team was out of line for leaving. Then again they are square headed Ontarians where politics of correctness finds new friends everyday. Like any good coach should have done (and this was the case when I played) you inform yourself of the rules and laws of the jurisdiction you go to. Like you know, what happens if you accidentally sneeze on a terrorist in Saudi Arabia? Do they chop your nose off? We don't live in a la-la world where we can change rules willy-nilly because some group of outraged teenagers are angry. Bend me over and insert.....

Yes, it was honorable that the team rallied and closed ranks around their team mate. Shed me a tear and pass me the popcorn. I cried during Hossiers but I sure in hell ain't gonna cry over a piece of garment. "I love you guys..." Fucking brilliant.

This article turns a Hijabian incident into some ridiculous notion of tolerance. People cut their spaghetti in front of me all the time. This offends me as an Italian. Do you see me going to the Charter?

I've played with Muslim players all my life. At least I think I did. I'm not sure. They never dared to pray East during a game. Ah, good times. Anyway, none of this crap ever happened. We all understood ANY ITEM (Yeah, I'm shouting. my mother hates it when I yell at the screen) deemed dangerous (religious or otherwise - including my cross) was disallowed. Guess what? We all get along just fricken fine. Some of them could play damn well too.

It seems to me there's a new breed of people who are not living a life of compromise.

I'm The Commentator's Clone join me in the Corner next time.